BP Disaster Fund Will Restore Beach Near Grand Isle

PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP) — The foundation overseeing use of fines from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has approved $144.5 million to complete the restoration of a beach near Grand Isle.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation says the project will create about 490 acres of habitat, adding about 7.5 miles of beachfront to the Caminada Headland. It will do so by pumping more than 5 million cubic yards of sand from the Gulf of Mexico through a pipeline.

Money for the project comes from a fund set up to manage fines paid by Transocean Ltd. and BP PLC after the companies pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges related to the 2010 oil spill.

Nearly $68 million allocated by the fund in 2013 included $3 million for the project's engineering and design.